Thank you to team behind Wicksteed Park’s new Jolly Jockeys attraction
The hard work and dedication which has gone into making Wicksteed Park’s newest attraction a reality has been recognised – as visitors begin to enjoy the ride for the first time.
The Jolly Jockeys attraction is located down at the lakeside and offers the chance to hit the saddle and gallop to victory in a horse race around a challenging circuit of twists, turns and fences.
Park bosses knew the ride would prove popular after trialling a similar attraction a number of years ago.
After it was purchased from Italian ride manufacturer SBF-Visa, which specialises in theme park attractions, a ten-strong team at the park worked on the installation, coming up with the Jolly Jockeys name and sourcing the wooden construction and ramps to create the station where people join and leave the ride.
The team was made up of park creative director Nick Farmer, Michael Bush (Head of Estate), Sam Towers (Rides and Attraction Manager), Jason Robinson (Maintenance and Buildings Manager), Michael Dexter (Grounds and Maintenance Assistant), Lewis Mitchell (Park Ranger), Kate McCahill (Assistant Park Ranger), Brian Hamilton (Construction Contractor), Graham Preston (Grounds and Maintenance Assistant), Callum Oldfield (Grounds and Maintenance Assistant) and Stuart McDowell (Graphic Design Manager).
Wicksteed Park Director of Finance and Governance Kelly Richardson said: “It is always an exciting time when a new ride or attraction is opened to our visitors. There is an enormous amount of hard work and dedication which goes into making these things a reality.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such an amazing team of people here at the park who help make it such a fun place to visit and their efforts deserve to be recognised.”
In recent years Wicksteed Park has also added the Galaxy Invaders ride, the Garden Wheel, Meerkat Manor and regular daytime shows featuring Wicky Bear and friends at Wicky Bear’s Theatre.
Wicky’s Farmyard also offers the chance to interact with giant rabbits, pigs, goats, barn owls, ferrets, and guinea pigs in an animal-friendly enclosure.
All the park’s rides and attractions are open each weekend and throughout the summer holidays, so visitors can enjoy rides like Dinosaur Valley and Rocky River Falls or favourites such as the Paratrooper, the Dodgems, the Train, Sway Rider and the Carousel.
To boost the enjoyment, the park has reduced pre-booked, dated wristbands to just £20, held individual ride tickets at £3 and now children under 0.9m go for free when accompanied by someone who has paid for a ticket or wristband.
As part of the Time 4 Tots promotion, on selected dates in June toddlers and their adults can also explore the park and some of its attractions for as little as £10 per person, if wristbands are pre-booked via the park’s website.
Wicksteed Park combines 147 acres of beautiful parkland with more than 30 rides and attractions for all the family.
Visitors can enjoy a slice of delicious pizza at Carlo’s Courtyard; a snack and a coffee at the recently refurbished Garden Café; or grab a quick bite at the brand new for 2024 Lighthouse Café.
The Ice Cream Parlour is also open throughout the season for a cooling treat.
Wicksteed Park was opened in 1921 by Charles Wicksteed, the creator of swings and slides as we know them today, who had a vision to inspire and encourage play as part of families' health and wellbeing.
The Wicksteed Charitable Trust was formed to ensure his work continued after his death and the park has become known as the home of children’s play.